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Television up 8% in January as streaming surges and broadcast booms

3 minute read | February 2022

The first week of January handily shattered previous streaming records with 197.6 billion viewing minutes, with Christmas week 2021 now taking second place of the highest level of streaming recorded (with 183 billion viewing minutes). This 12% uptick in monthly volume was the highest of any category, and resulted in a 1.1% increase in streaming share to set another record at 28.9% of television usage. For the month of January, streaming averaged 180 billion minutes per week – the highest average weekly figure of any month since Nielsen introduced streaming measurement.

Broadcast consumption was up 9% versus December, a trend driven by arguably the most compelling NFL playoffs ever–and increased engagement with refreshed broadcast dramas, up 22% compared to the previous month. The cable category, despite being up 3% in usage, lost 1.7 share points to finish at 35.6% of television viewing, primarily driven by the seasonal shift away from holiday movies.

Take me to the methodology details below.

Watch the video to hear Brian Fuhrer, SVP, Product Strategy at Nielsen provide a behind the scenes look at some of the viewing changes underpinning The Gauge.

 

METHODOLOGY AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Gauge provides a monthly macroanalysis of how consumers are accessing content across key television delivery platforms, including Broadcast, Streaming, Cable and Other sources. It also includes a breakdown of the major, individual streaming distributors. The chart itself shows the share by category and of total television usage by individual streaming distributors.

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